All new MG Astor Launched in India, introductory prices begin at Rs 9.78 lakh

After unveiling it a few days ago, MG has officially put the new Astor midsize SUV on sale in India. Launched as a petrol-only model of the already existing ZS EV, the new MG Astor is available with introductory prices for its first 5,000 customers, the range of which starts at Rs 9.78 lakh.

Exterior

The new MG Astor is essentially a renamed version of the facelifted ZS SUV, which is sold overseas. While the silhouette and basic design of the MG Astor are shared with the ZS EV SUV which is already available in India, there are some major tweaks to the front and rear ends to make it look fresher than the latter. The MG Astor looks slightly different from the global-spec MG ZS, thanks to an India-specific front ‘celestial grille and revised front and rear bumpers. Apart from these details, the front LED headlamps and tail lamps of the MG Astor too look distinctively different from the ZS EV. Even the 17-inch alloy wheels get a different looking design.

Interior

The new MG Astor gets a different looking dashboard when compared to the ZS EV on which it is based. The car is available with three different colour schemes for the cabin – Tuxedo Black, dual-tone Iconic Ivory with black and dual-tone Sangria Red with black.

The biggest standout feature of the cabin of the MG Astor is the AI-driven personal assistant, which is shaped in the form of a small robot and placed on the dashboard above the centre console. This AI-driven robot can respond to voice commands, perform various in-car functions and answers various queries with the help of online sources like Wikipedia and other built-in apps. For this AI assistant and other connected car features, the MG Astor features an in-built Jio e-SIM.

Other major features of the MG Astor are a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system, 7-inch full TFT instrument console, leatherette upholstery, powered driver’s seat, panoramic sunroof, push start-stop button, electric parking brake, automatic climate control, heated outside rearview mirrors, rear AC vents and steering weight adjustment with driving modes (Normal, Urban and Dynamic).

Powertrain

The MG Astor has been introduced as a petrol-only model, with two petrol engine options to choose from. The major volume driver will be the 1.5-litre four cylinders naturally aspirated petrol engine, which produces 110 bhp of maximum power and 144 Nm of maximum torque. This engine is available with both 5-speed manual and CVT gearbox options. There is also a more powerful 1.3-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, which makes 140 bhp of maximum power and 200 Nm of maximum torque, and is exclusively available with a 6-speed torque converter.

Safety

The regular safety features like six airbags, ABS with EBD, brake assist, traction control, hill start assist, hill descent control, tyre pressure monitoring system, electronic stability control and 360-degree parking camera are there in the Astor. However, the talking point of the MG Astor in the safety department has to be the Level 2 Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, which include automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, forward collision warning, lane keep assist, rear-drive assist, speed assist and intelligent headlamp control. The ADAS package of systems, however, is available as an option for top-spec variants, the prices of which will be unveiled in the coming days.

Variants and Pricing

The new MG Astor is available with two petrol engines – 1.5-litre petrol and a 1.3-litre turbo-petrol engine. Available across four different variants, namely Style, Super, Smart and Sharp, the complete price list for the new MG Astor is as follows:

1.5-litre petrol –

• Style MT – Rs 9.78 lakh
• Super MT – Rs 11.28 lakh
• Super CVT – Rs 12.68 lakh
• Smart MT – Rs 12.98 lakh
• Sharp MT – Rs 13.98 lakh
• Smart CVT – Rs 14.18 lakh
• Sharp CVT – Rs 14.98 lakh

1.3-litre turbo-petrol –

• Smart AT – Rs 15.88 lakh
• Sharp AT – Rs 16.78 lakh

These prices are introductory and are applicable only for the first 5,000 customers of the Astor, which will be delivered this year. The prices for the new bookings post 5,000 customers, deliveries of which will happen next year will see increase later on. The bookings for the first 5,000 customers will start on 21st October.

Competition

The new MG Astor enters a very crowded space of midsize SUVs which has seen a lot of new players in the last couple of years. The main rivals of the MG Astor include Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Nissan Kicks, Renault Duster, Volkswagen Taigun, Skoda Kushaq, five-seater variants of Mahindra XUV700 and Maruti Suzuki S-Cross.

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